(Pictures). Chicken lethargy, droopy comb, runny droppings and more :( Please help if you can!

[KBHouchlei]

Hello,

I have 2 Leghorn Hens that we got as little peep peeps, as we call them, and one has been observed laying around the yard and seems to be very weak. Separating her from the other chickens this evening to check on individual droppings but she has some interesting issues going on with her droppings. Seems to be diarrhea to me but her feathers have also started to look like they are rotting? I will post some pictures of the poor gal and if anyone has any experience please help! We feed and water them daily, with fresh batches and cleaned bowls each day. They roam the yard during the day and we have built coops for them to sleep in at night with straw bedding. We have 9 hens (of various sizes and breed, divided among 2 coops) and 1 rooster and she is the only one exhibiting this condition/behavior. We had been getting eggs here or there with no shell and I am starting to suspect it may be her. We feed them Egg Layer Pellets. She definitely appears to have lost weight as she is now much smaller than her sister hen. Her comb has become discolored and extremely droopy. Most likely to dehydration? And she overall seems to be weakening. Used to be you couldn't take a step in her direction without her high tailing it out of the area so you couldn't get her, to just laying there and letting you move her or pet her. I asked a local vet for some advice and the only thing he could think of (as he doesn't actually treat chickens or any backyard style poultry) was Coccidia, and to bring in a sample of her droppings so he could test. If anyone has any info it would be of great help! We named the Leghorns Thing 1 and Thing 2 cause they are just so crazy and run around like the Suess tricksters! Its sad seeing her like this.

Thank you very much!

-Kyle

Images of her feet were in case there were any questions as to the condition in regards to her laying about.

 

[JenniferV2003]

The black spots on her feet, is it dirt that washes off, or does it seem more like a wart or mole? If the spots are more wart/mole like, then part of the problem is bumble foot. This requires a relatively easy home surgery

 

[Pinkaboo]

Is it rotting feathers or staining from having diarrhea ?
Great that the vet will test but get some medication into her anyway
And fluids, there is a reciepy for electrolyte drink

 

[KBHouchlei]

The black spots on her feet, is it dirt that washes off, or does it seem more like a wart or mole? If the spots are more wart/mole like, then part of the problem is bumble foot. This requires a relatively easy home surgery

I will see about the washing off when I bed her in a couple hours. Currently her rooster is standing guard over her and he has been pretty violent with us around her since she got sick. Even the vigilant one our Mr.Spike is. Thanks for the response Jennifer!

Is it rotting feathers or staining from having diarrhea ?
Great that the vet will test but get some medication into her anyway
And fluids, there is a reciepy for electrolyte drink

I will take a bucket of water out with me and see if it washes away. It is very possible it could just be staining. The skin is turning a grey-ish tone where the feather is growing as well.

Any recommendation on medicine and where I may be able to find some? The feed mill nearby me said he doesn't sell medicine so I am not sure what to get and where. A friend suggested the local Tractor Supply may have medicine.

I will look up the recipe and put a bowl of the drink in with her tonight. Thanks for the response Pinkaboo!

 

[Suzie]

That looks like bumblefoot...she will be debilitated with that...does she limp when she walks?

Her backside could be as a result of worms...if you have not de-wormed her recently I would suggest you treat her with Safeguard or Panacur..she needs an urgent backside bath...flies can cause untold problems with a dirty backside...also if her vent is crusted with poop she will have a problem in laying eggs.

It may be an idea to give her some vitamins to boost her...leg problems benefit from vitamin B...

 

[KBHouchlei]

That looks like bumblefoot...she will be debilitated with that...does she limp when she walks?

Her backside could be as a result of worms...if you have not de-wormed her recently I would suggest you treat her with Safeguard or Panacur..she needs an urgent backside bath...flies can cause untold problems with a dirty backside...also if her vent is crusted with poop she will have a problem in laying eggs.

It may be an idea to give her some vitamins to boost her...leg problems benefit from vitamin B...

Thanks Suzie. I will look into getting some of the de wormer into her as soon as possible. Just any pet deworming is fine or is there specific ones for chicken? Will also give her a bath tonight to clean up her feathers and general being. I haven't been able to catch her doing much walking. I check on her, try and bring her something to eat or drink, and then when I go away to do another chore I come back to find her moved and laying elsewhere. Thanks for the response!

 

[Suzie]

For de-worming I would suggest Safeguard or Panacur paste...a small amount ( i.e. pea sized \) would be sufficient for a fully grown chicken..dispense of any eggs during the de-worming...after 14 days repeat the treatment..again dispense of any eggs..after the 28 days the eggs will be OK to eat.

For the bumblefoot infection you can soak her foot in a solution of epsom salts or iodine for a week...by then the infection will hopefully have raised itself so that you can squeeze the infection/plug out...she will need an antibiotic powder and the foot will need to be covered with a dressing, that will need to be changed every two days or so...if you feel brave you can use a scalpel immediately after soaking her foot in an iodine/betadine solution to remove the plug of infection...sounds daunting but if you cover her head with a towel and lie her in her side she will become passive and you can carry out the "surgery"...

Been there myself and my chicken is alive and well!

I wish you luck!

,

 

[KBHouchlei]

All,

I attempted washing the bottoms of the Hens feet this evening, they are indeed scabs/warts. Found a nice link on The Chicken Chick website with how to instructions and a video on how to do the removal surgery and after care. As to the rest we are getting ready to leave and get some supplies for the surgery and going to see if I can get some de-worming medicine from the local store. If not, will go and get some tomorrow from a Pet Store. I appreciate all your help everyone! Wish us luck as my friend and I attempt this surgery tomorrow. (After a pampering bath to wash her behind and calm her. Pre-op lovings if you will.)

 

[KBHouchlei]

Hello everyone,

It is with sadness that I write this post. Thing 1 did not make it. We gave her a nice long bath to wash her backside and discovered that she had those untold problems that were spoke of. She had flystrike. Wish I had known sooner all the complications that can come from this but now I do. She did well during the bath and we had gotten many of the unwanted visitors out of her wound that was discovered back there. Treated it with a Betadine mix I found on the chicken-chick site and an antibiotic spray that was recommended on that site. Overnight she seemed to be tired and slept most of it. She drank a bit of the electrolytes and ate a decent bit of food overnight and this morning before work she seemed to have perked up some. But, I fear it was as the saying goes, the candle burns bright just before it goes out. At least I am comforted knowing she had a pampering spa day and that she is no longer suffering. Thanks for all the tips and advice friends.

-Kyle

 

[enola]

You probably need to worm your entire flock of chickens to prevent more of them getting sick.